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Radfem2012 and David versus Goliath

We often hear from Transactivists that trans are the most oppressed and marginalised of any discriminated-against group, so we shall investigate whether “David” (the little guy) applies to Trans, and that “Goliath” (the giant) really applies to Radfems.

The kerfuffle was brought to light when Conway Hall backed out of providing the venue for a modest conference of a couple of hundred Radfems (and those interested in learning more about Radical Feminism). Of course, Conway Hall seem to have a history of backing the wrong side, this seems to be a pattern.

So, 2,500 expected for the Trans conference, and a few hundred (at best) for the Radfem conference. Ten times the size, and more than double the duration. Some more details:

The day is nearly here, the day that all the organizers of the 11th annual Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference (PTHC) have been waiting nearly 12 months for: the first day of the conference. Planning a conference for 2,500 people that runs for three days and involves over 350 presenters, 2,000-plus workshops, and nearly 40 other gatherings, activities, shows, and parties takes a veritable army to pull off.

Lots of media coverage from the LGBT (none for the Radfem conference, even though a significant number of Radfems are lesbians, supposedly part of the LGBT, but you wouldn’t know it given the ‘radio silence’ on lesbian issues/events from the LGBT, Chaz Bono aside). 350 presenters compared to maybe 20-30 panelists for Radfem2012, and 2,000 workshops compared to maybe a handful at most at Radfem2012. Multiple parties versus one party. Also, the 11th Annual compared to the Inaugural. Yes, the Trans community must really be quaking in their boots at the size of the Radfem ‘threat’ against them. I wonder if Radfems were invited to speak at their conference, considering they insist that they must be heard at ours? And given it is a health conference, I wonder if the medical professionals opposed to transgenderism will be asked to speak their views, or will they be silenced and threatened by Transactivists, just as Radfems are?

First Wave Feminists in the late 19th to early 20th centuries spent many decades trying to get the vote for women. They took to the streets in their hundreds. Quite a number were arrested, and force-fed in prison. They were still a small minority of women who did get the job done, even though many women actually opposed them, and most men opposed them. I recall seeing a letter written into a newspaper at the time stating most strongly how women should not be given the vote, and rubbishing the suffragettes’ reputations. It kind of reminds me of the average Radical Feminist (even just general feminist) posts on CiF (the Guardian’s Comment is Free) and the misogyny they attract.

Second Wave Feminists took to the streets over many years in the late 1960s to mid 1970s to get equal pay for women (women were sometimes paid as little as 10% of the male wage – we still only average 80% of the male wage); domestic violence and rape laws (it was still legal to rape your wife up until 1991); childcare facilities to enable more women to work and work full time (women still make up the majority of part time workers); better property and other settlements in divorce; custody arrangements; domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centres (most started as volunteer organisations); legal abortions and contraception.

A lot of work to get those rights, not even fully realised in practice today, over many decades. The majority of the population opposed those rights, they were deemed unpopular.

Nor do they automatically lose their jobs upon transition, although some do change jobs and still go on to have a significant career – they have more chance of a high level career than most females ever do. Most are guys who have lived most of their lives as men, had significant careers and built up assets. Most Radfems are dirt poor. Women still make up the majority of the poor worldwide.

As a reversal of Second Wave gains to get more women into higher career positions and male-dominated jobs like IT, equality monitoring counts transwomen as ‘women’ in these roles. Nothing has changed for the female-born, they remain on the outer, and the male-born transwomen occupy those positions instead.

Transactivists and their supporters can mobilise in vast numbers to shut down any questioning of transgenderism – like J. Michael Bailey who had his children threatened by Transactivists, a number of other medical professions who have spoken against transgenderism have had the same treatment from Transactivists – like the academic/clinical conference scheduled last year, A Time to Change, at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The Radfem2012 conference must surely hold the record, with the venue pulling out in just two weeks after the speakers were announced due to pressure from Transactivists. Feminists such as Professor Sheila Jeffreys and Julie Bindel frequently get no-platformed at events because they are labelled ‘transphobic’ (including Conway Hall’s banning of Professor Jeffreys). Feminist Germaine Greer, now a woman in her 70s, got glitterbombed in New Zealand this year. Online Radical Feminists are bombarded with threats of death (“die cis scum” and “die in a fire”) – these are routine. There is no one who can speak out about, or even question transgenderism, without being threatened into silence or shut down somehow, including Trans Regretters and Intersex Activists who are sick of the appropriation of their congenital conditions.

The “poor me” cry of Transactivists somehow rings hollow.

Patriarchy thrives on reversals. The Trans role in David vs Goliath is yet another.

Yes to everything you say, Davina.
This has been one massive patriarchal reversal, with the colonisers claiming they are the oppressed and marginalised, when in fact the whole of trans is about putting *men’s* interests and festishes at the centre, and women can basically go to hell.

Yup. All female born women are now officially marginalised in law in order that *some* males can enact what they *think* a “woman” is – what female people do and how we relate – so that they can play out their personal demons. Did anyone consult us, actual female women, regarding the potential impact this would have on *our* sense of identity, community and well-being? Not as far as I’m aware… The cries of “poor me” from transactivists are hollow and meaningless to a female born woman with any conscience.

Patriarchy, as ever, is the Goliath in everything men do to look after their own interests. And it’s in men’s interest to keep women down, to shut us up, to keep us firmly within the parameters of inclusion they’ve approved for us. So it’s ok if some of them call themselves/believe they are “women” and get more rights than female born women as a result – supported by men’s rights activists and liberal feminists in the process. Divide and rule is a well tried tactic of war…

So a handful of female born women are blackballed for setting aside an hour or so to discuss the politics of trans genderism during a conference. And make no mistake; the transgender issue is a political issue first and foremost.

And the world turns… Female born people continue in the lowest paid, part time work. Female born people continue to be raped, beaten, abused, mutilated, exploited and trafficked for male sexual ‘entertainment’, Female born people continue to perform 66% of the world’s work but receive only 11% of the world’s income and own only 1% of the world’s land. Males continue to consciously use the rape of female born girls and women as a tool of genocide and weapon of war. And gender-based violence kills one in three female born women across the world and is the biggest cause of injury and death to female born women worldwide, causing more deaths and disability among female born women aged 15 to 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accident, and war put together.

Thank you for writing these posts Davina. I am just incensed by the bully-boy tactics and threats from the transactivists, and the woman-hating lies and propaganda that they and their libfemqueer allies are spreading all around the media.

I am a newly awakened rad fem (a recovering “fun fem” if you prefer), and what amazes me is that it was lesbians and feminists who helped support these trans folks in their quest for rights while our own were often postponed or backbenched. And this is how they now treat women (those of us born women reproductively). So…I’m confused?!?! Seems to me that the whole trans movement was really a Trojan Horse from the get-go. ::scratches head::